Body-facing layers of disposable absorbent products such as sanitary napkins, disposable diaper, and adult incontinence products are well known in the art. Body-facing layers are sometimes referred to as facing layers, and more commonly are referred to as topsheets.
Topsheets on disposable absorbent articles are fluid pervious sheets or webs; commonly nonwoven webs are utilized. Nonwoven webs provide fluid permeability along with softness. Although a nonwoven web can be used “as is” in many cases, it is often important to modify the nonwoven web for a particular purpose. For example, nonwoven webs for topsheets can be apertured, corrugated, or treated with fluid flow-modifying agents such as surfactants.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,916,661 and 5,628,097, both issued to Curro et al., disclose an apertured nonwoven web, and a method for making the web. This web has been found to be useful as a topsheet on disposable diapers, for example, by permitting viscous body exudates a pathway to an absorbent core within the diaper.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,518,801 issued to Chappell et al. discloses a process for forming a web, including laminates of webs, the process forming rib-like elements in a web. Such a process is disclosed as producing elastic-like webs from films, and the like. The elastic-like webs are formed by passing a web through the nip of a pair of intermeshing rolls that form the rib-like elements.
Both apertured and elastic-like webs made according to the processes disclosed in the above-mentioned Curro et al. and Chappell et al. patents have been disclosed separately for use in topsheets for disposable absorbent articles. However, there remains a need for topsheets effective in keeping the body of the wearer clean during use.
Accordingly, there is a need for a topsheet that is effective at absorbing body exudates, and at cleaning the skin of the wearer of any body exudates that remain on the skin during use.